Where the Doctor Goes, Fluff Follows
by Rubyredwolves
Summary: Skimmons! Basically pure fluff ;) Simmons and Skye watching a Doctor Who marathon and hanging out together, soon developing feelings for each other. But yeah, basically pure Skimmons fluff starting from the middle of the episode, "Providence," and continuing on ;) (No worries, it gets a little bit more angsty eventually)
1. Chapter 1

Skye was sitting on the couch in what seemed to be a living room. You could never tell in these "secret headquarters," but so long as there was a television, that'd be where Skye was staying.

With a yawn she sprawled out on the couch, flipping through channels. She'd just gotten back from her lie-detector test, and Simmons was taking hers right about now. She hadn't seen the rest of the team, but she wondered what the results would be. She had no worries though. The team was the one thing she trusted, and hopefully that'd never have to change.

Her thoughts were put to rest when Jemma Simmons entered the room, her presence bright and cheerful as she displayed her newly-earned lanyard, nose scrunching up with a smile.

Skye grinned and gave her a thumbs up, sliding over slightly to give Jemma room to sit.

Jemma obliged and plopped down beside her, just close enough so that her shoulder brushed against Skye's arm.

They sat quietly for a few moments, absentmindedly watching what was on the screen and smiling contentedly, happy to simply be relaxing. After everything that'd happened to S.H.I.E.L.D., anyone would enjoy some peace and quiet.

"So," Skye broke the silence. "The lie detector thing. Pretty cool, huh?" She hadn't meant to sound as flustered as she did. Why did her sarcasm and quick thinking always dissipate at the worst moments? Never at the life-or-death missions... Always around the team. Not. cool.

Fortunately for her, Jemma seemed to take no notice of how awkward she felt, and her eyes lit up, a bubbly smile of excitement overtaking her features.

"Oh yes! Such technology is quite ingenious really! It'd take so much knowledge on brain waves, the specific details of the pulse, differentiations in intellectual capacity, and the different effects lying has in the human body! Such perception in a machine such as that is truly remarkable and ahead of its time! Of course, it did require a bit of calibration, with all those juvenile questions and such, but ultimately, it _was _quite an impressive device! Certainly an interesting way of determining whether or not to allow one onto a team, nearly foolproof!" She said, finishing with an excited squeak. "I'd just _love _to get my hands on it to examine!"

Skye wasn't sure how, but somehow Jemma had managed to say all of that without even taking a breath.

It was adorable.

"Yeah, but the questions!" Skye interrupted before the biochemist could continue off on one of her tangents that she wouldn't be able to keep up with. "What were some of your answers? Did you get the question about the rock and the egg?"

"Oh, the differences between a rock and an egg?" Jemma confirmed. "Ridiculous question, really, utterly ridiculous," she continued. "The answers are _innumerable_, had I listed them all, I'd still be in there and talking all day. The structural components of the egg include the shell; membranes; the thick, outer, and inner albumen; the chalazae; and the yolk, while a rock is all various minerals and, well, rock. In a fertilized egg, the yolk supplies the nutrients and the albumen supplies the water necessary for the development of the embryo! It's a source of _life _and _energy_! Rocks merely make up the Earth's crust, and are the base for many natural occurrences and the start of all environments. An egg changes and develops into a chick though it is just a single cell. Remarkable, really. That's another thing too though, rocks are all multicellular, while an egg, no matter what kind, is always unicellular. A rock can be metamorphic, igneous, or sedimentary, and they all shift into each other at one point or another through natural processes. They're always recycled, unlike and egg and its energy which grows and eventually dies to be decomposed-"

"Well, I just said one's breakfast, the other isn't." Skye cut in as soon as Jemma took a breath, rolling her eyes.

Jemma glanced at her with scorn and and looked as if she were about to launch herself into another lecture.

"What about the one with a box washing up on the deserted island," Skye scoffed, breaking in quickly. "I said my laptop, for obvious reasons… Though I realized that was stupid because there's no wifi, but whatever. You?"

Jemma's eyes flicked to her lap before flicking up to grin cheekily." I suppose I didn't give a very realistic answer on this one..." As she trailed off, her grin faltered, "I wanted to know the size of the box but Agent Eric wouldn't elaborate and I didn't want to ask and annoy him because I already did for another question so really the first thing that popped into my head kind of just came out and I must've sounded really stupid-"

Jemma and stupid don't go well together in the same sentence.

"Jemma," she chided. "_Whatever _you said could not possibly be _stupid._You're the most intelligent, brightest, most perfect person I know."

She was surprised at how earnest and heartfelt her own words were... She hadn't even made up a word like perfect-est as she normally would have.

She mentally kicked herself. Repeatedly.

Jemma met her eyes quizzically, her brow furrowing lightly as she examined her. Skye flushed and broke the gaze, and eventually the feeling of uncertainty passed as if nothing had happened. There was something unreadable in Jemma's expression for a moment. Hope? Just simple curiosity?

"Well I don't know about that," Jemma said, tinged a dark tone of pink as she cleared her throat apprehensively. "I sounded like a nerd..."

Skye couldn't prevent the snort from escaping her mouth, but she covered it up with her hand, her shoulders shaking lightly.

"Jemma, you _are _a nerd!"

Jemma was embarrassed but defensive. "But not just a nerd, like a big _geek_,"

Skye supposed she wasn't helping when her laughter merely intensified, but she couldn't help it! Jemma's thickened accent and higher pitch when she was flustered wasn't helping her to become more serious again either.

When her laughter subsided to occasional random chuckling as Jemma glared at her, she finally managed to ask, "Well, what _did _you say?"

"The T.A.R.D.I.S."

"Hmmph?" Skye questioned, a lightly puzzled expression smearing her face.

Jemma's eyes widened almost comically. "Only part of the best television show in the universe!"

Skye didn't react. "What show?"

"Doctor Who!" Jemma exclaimed in exasperation. She certainly seemed to be taking Skye's ignorance of the show as a personal offense...

"T.A.R.D.I.S. 'T'-'A'-'R'-'D'-'I'-'S'. Time-and-Relative-Dimension-in-Space. The Doctor's time machine! Bigger on the inside! He calls her Sexy..."

"Um, _okay then_," Skye said, eyebrows raising and mock exasperation lacing her voice.

"Did I mention it travels through time and space? It appears to me I'm certainly the only one getting off that island. I can't believe you've never heard of it! It's on BBC!"

"Hey," Skye reacted instinctively. "With my laptop, I could probably hack into something to get me off the stupid island!" Came the retort."...If I, well, had wifi, y'know, but whatever!"

"But can your laptop transport you to other planets and different time periods?" Jemma inquired, shaking her head with eyebrows raised. "No," she finished definitively before Skye could.

Skye sighed, a short laugh escaping her when she looked at Jemma's folded arms.

"Well I'm sorry I don't watch this, 'Doctor Who,' or whatever!"

Jemma suddenly looked down nervously, chewing on the inside of her lip and smiling meekly, contemplating what next to say and if she should say it. "Well, you could... I don't mind re-watching all the episodes... we could start with Nine, y'know, the newer versions so there's not as many... I'm sure we could get Netflix or something, or download it..."

Jemma looked up with a sheepish grin, head tilting to the side in question and her warm brown eyes sparkling hopefully in the light.

"Who said anything about me agreeing to this?" Skye joked sarcastically, amusement in her eyes.

Jemma looked like a kicked puppy at that.

"Hey, hey, I never said I didn't agree either!" She smiled, her brown eyes softening and melting altogether.

"Great!" Jemma looked up completely, brightening. "You'll like the Ninth Doctor, he's a lot like you, oh, and Rose, I can't wait until you meet Rose!" Jemma squeaked in excitement.

Skye rolled her eyes.

"I would have the DVD's with me, but they got destroyed on The Bus."

"Wait, you took DVD's of a T.V. show along with you to an uber secret government society?"

"Well there has to be _something _to do in one's free time!"

"Jemma, when do _you _have free time?"

"That's not the point, Skye! As I said, after missions it's important to wind down. I certainly am allowed to take whatever I want if I'm going to _live _there!"

Skye snorted. "Wind down? By watching nerdy shows that you've probably already seen?"

"Yes," Jemma proclaimed with indignation.

"Well okay," Skye huffed in endearment, her eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement. "And you did have a fair point," she included to make the frazzled woman before her feel better.

Jemma smiled graciously at that.

"...Well it's up to you, like I said, wanna watch?" Skye asked shyly after a pause.

"Yes!"

A grin spread across each of the brunettes' faces. 

Within fifteen minutes they'd comfortably gotten the episodes, which involved Skye illegally downloading them despite Jemma's protests, and connecting Skye's laptop with the episodes on it to the T.V.

"Okay, so which episode?"

"It's called 'Rose.' The first one."

"'Kay," Skye said, clicking on it.

They reclined and let it play, Jemma squeezing her arm excitedly whenever something she liked happened. When The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and whispered "run," Jemna had practically jumped out of her seat, a grin plastered on her face as she clung to Skye happily.

Skye found that she definitely did _not _mind Jemma hanging all over her. The show was really good too. At first she'd found it really cheesy, laughing at all the unrealistic parts and sometimes at the British accents for no apparent reason, but she found she was really enjoying herself. The plot was good too. By the end of the first episode she'd decided she loved The Doctor, he was hilarious; loved Rose, she was awesome; and loved to make fun of Mikey.

Whenever she did though, Jemma would reprimand her, saying he was like a puppy. Or a tin dog. Something like that. Skye wasn't quite sure what to make of that comment, but nonetheless, Jemma's excitement was infectious.

They'd gotten through three episodes before Jemma began inching closer to Skye, moving from her position with her feet up on the coffee table to pulling her knees to her chest and leaning on her, snuggling her head comfortably on Skye's shoulder. It was quite distracting really, but comfortable. Jemma was warm and soft, a blanket. She was soothing.

She could smell the faint sweet scent of lavender perfume that Jemma wore mixed with the welcoming smell of tea and honey on her breath. She was almost tempted to close her eyes and sleep with the wonderful aroma wafting around her.

If the show hadn't been so amazing though. C'mon. Weird baby-faced farting aliens. Skye would never be able to keep herself from laughing.

The two girls were huddled close and giggling uncontrollably.

"I promise the episodes aren't all this cheesy!" Jemma smiled, red-faced.

Skye only burst out with even louder laughter. "I don't care if they're all like this! This is great!"

Jemma smiled in relief, biting her lip. She really wanted Skye to be enjoying herself as much as she was. Jemma openly grinned and burrowed into the taller woman's side, hair falling over her face.

They each could get used to this.

Jemma _had _warned her not to get too comfortable and that she'd probably cry.

Skye had been unfazed. She hadn't believed her. Now she did. They were on the last episode of series one and tears were streaming down her face, silent sobs being choked from her throat while her hand lay over her open mouth. Jemma's eyes welling up as well, and her cheeks were dampened. Throughout the show Skye noticed how attached Jemma was to each character, waving her arms happily whenever Rose and The Doctor had a moment, getting deathly silent during serious parts, snorting before funny parts even had the chance to happen, spewing out brief spoilers with a grin plastered on her face as she did so, and lastly, letting a tear or two slip down her cheeks whenever something sad happened. Jemma had briefly explained regeneration to her but Skye hadn't quite gotten it, not knowing anything about the show. _Now _she definitely did.

"Oh. My. God... This show is intense."

"I know," came the whispered reply.

"This show tends to be more suspenseful than life-or-death missions..."

"Yep... Wait until Doomsday. And Journey's End. And Angels Take Manhattan."

Jemma had been laying on Skye's lap the whole time, but she'd risen to watch the last episode, leaning more in toward the T.V.

Now Skye had ended up clutching Jemma's arm as if for dear life, clenching and unclenching her fists and making incoherent squealing noises, staring at the now-black screen.

The "feels," as Jemma called them, had definitely set in.

She frantically met Jemma's glistening eyes with her own wet ones, "Next season?"

Jemma's eyes crinkled in amusement, but nodded happily nonetheless.

Skye grinned. But she didn't move to get her laptop again. They were in close proximity, legs practically intertwined. Gazing into Jemma's eyes, she trailed her thumb softly across Jemma's cheek, carefully wiping away the gathering of moisture there. She smiled to herself, transfixed for a moment by the endless layers of brown in Jemma's eyes and the tentative delicate smile playing across her soft pink lips. Her eyes... They were like the finest piece of dark amber, able to capture her attention and very soul within them with a simple gaze.

It only had lasted a second, but when Skye realized how creepy and awkward she must have appeared, she broke the gaze, turning away quickly and practically jumping off the couch to get her laptop, jostling Jemma roughly in the process.

A furious blush burning like white fire across her face, she muttered an apology, trying to appear lighthearted as if nothing had happened. Again.

Jemma seemed perplexed... Yet again. She didn't question it though. She just had a darkened look in her eyes and stared at her retreating form.

Skye scrambled to get the new episodes loaded onto her laptop.

It said it would take fifteen minutes though...

_Damnit_.

She was making a fool out of herself already. She didn't even know why.

_Jesus, Skye, where'd your cool go? You look like a blithering idiot!_

Oh god. She was even beginning to sound like her.

No, not Jemma, it was probably just from watching all the British television.

That's what she told herself anyway.

Soon, all was forgotten anyway, despite her initial concerns. They'd chatted intensely about the season, discussing Nine's regeneration, his relationship with Rose, how Skye would learn to love Ten even more, and about each of their favorite moments in turn.

It was certainly apparent to Skye that Jemma hadn't gotten to talk and "fangirl" for a long time, as Jemma so nicely put it as an excuse for her excitement.

She seemed to be truly enjoying Skye's company. She was glad for that. She liked it when Jemma was happy.

When they played the next season, fifteen minutes into the episode, Jemma did something that took Skye by surprise. Not much could shock the girl, always evaluating and examining... But this did.

Jemma had carefully draped her arm around her shoulders, all the while inching her hand atop Skye's own, interlacing her fingers in Skye's and squeezing lightly.

Skye carefully shifted her gaze to the side, assessing her, wide eyed.

She looked away immediately, pretending not to notice anything, but not before she could see the nervous apprehension on her teammate's face, obviously looking forward deliberately with a tinge of pink staining her cheeks.

Skye smirked. She put more of her weight on Jemma, pressing their bodies together, nuzzling into her.

It was quite comfortable. Neither wanted to move.

They stayed that way for the rest of the episode, soaking in each others body heat and letting it comfort each of them in a shroud of warmth and security.

It was extremely late already. May and Coulson had only passed the room a few times, and Fitz was occupied bustling around for the team. She'd only seen Ward earlier that day. They all trusted each other enough to not have to check whether or not they each passed the test. Of course they all did. They were a team. It was a normal day. Almost a vacation. It was perfect.


	2. Chapter 2

Jemma knew all the signs of having a crush, the body's metabolic way of showing if one had attraction for another. She felt her own heart racing around Skye since the very day she'd met her. From day one, she'd followed her around like a puppy, watching her intently with admiration. She couldn't help it. She'd suppressed it a bit, but whenever Skye had a hug for her, she felt like she would just melt into a very happy puddle in those strong supportive arms. Jemma couldn't deny her love for Skye. She'd never told anyone, of course, especially not poor smitten Fitz... Just because her feelings weren't known, it didn't mean they weren't true.

Now she was surprised to have seen Skye's own eyes dilating slightly when their gazes had met. It made her heart leap with uncertainty, but very sure hope. She noticed the little things about Skye. One of those being the tiny flush of red staining her cheeks. Jemma chocked that down to being mere embarrassment... but those dilating eyes... No. She was just getting her hopes up again.

Skye never seemed to notice her feelings for her. It was funny that she was such a bad liar but was able to keep her secret love for Skye to herself for so long. After all, she was getting better at it just from the experience of that.

Now here she was, marathoning her favorite show in the world, her fingers intertwined with her favorite person in the world. She might just melt.

The close proximity was making her breathing quicker, and she had to cross her legs tightly, squirming nervously. She felt nearly numb, terrified of ruining her nice day with Skye by making a fool of herself.

As to not appear overly clingy, however, she started to let go of Skye's hand, surprised to find resistance there, Skye squeezing back again to hold it more tightly.

Skye was still watching the show intently, and she felt herself able to calm down enough to relax into Skye's side again. If Skye felt nothing was weird, then she didn't need to either, did she?

But she remembered Skye's dilating pupils again. She could feel the intense heartbeat thrumming next to her. Maybe Skye felt something weird after all. Maybe it was _Skye w_ho thought s_he t_hought nothing was weird so she should act normally so she didn't think she felt weird... God, that was confusing.

She began chewing on her lip absentmindedly, losing focus on the images on the screen. No harm done there though. She'd watched every episode countless times anyway. Every second of them were already seared onto her heart. This was simply a good opportunity to think on her feelings... her dumb, tumultuously ever-rising feelings.

She sighed. She was able to mull over her thoughts for a while at least...

That was until she happened to glance at the time.

2:18 A.M.

Well, that might explain why no one was passing by the room... And explain the frequent yawns and sluggish movements coming from Skye next to her.

She didn't say anything, but when the episode ended, Skye, for once, didn't make a move to put the next one on.

She suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder, soft sleepy murmuring in her ear.

"Mmph, wha jus hmmpemed?"

Jemma smiled, eyes shifting over to the unmoving form beside her.

"Nothing dear, the episode just ended,"

"Okay... Cool..." She droned off, jerking awake between words.

Jemma gently twirled Skye's lush outlying brown curls around her finger, causing Skye to smile, eyes still closed.

"Feels nice," Skye mumbled.

A shuddering flush was sent through Jemma, eager to please. She continued to run her fingers through Skye's hair, arm resting on her slouched shoulders while she smiled proudly and happily to herself.

She stiffened when Skye wrapped her arms around her, sliding down so she was now laying on Jemma's lap. She didn't think Skye quite realized what she was doing to her, the pit of her stomach growing warm.

Biting her lip, she hesitantly stroked Skye's arms, her fingers moving of their own accord.

Skye grinned. "Tickles," she said almost inaudibly, fidgeting weakly, fighting off sleep.

Jemma laughed quietly. "Hey, you can sleep if you want, don't worry about it."

Skye opened her eyes at that, probably realizing where she was, and began blindly pushing herself away.

"Hey, hey, hey," she soothed, pulling her back, "it's fine."

Skye met her eyes deeply for the second time within twelve hours, which was pretty amazing to Jemma. They were wide, and she could trace every eyelash with her eyes and pick out every shade and tint of rich chocolate brown in the perfect earnest orbs before her.

Weak smiles from both girls signaled to break the gaze, Skye being reassured enough to rest her head on Jemma once more.

Pink stained Jemma's cheeks as the rush went through her at the renewed contact, adoration for Skye filling her. She loved being the one Skye could talk to. She loved being the one to provide her with comfort, safety, security, fun... Soon enough, as Jemma brushed her nails over Skye's back, Skye had fallen asleep, hair cascading over Jemma's legs, evened heavy breathing coming from her open mouth. Jemma loved how she looked like that, no creases of concern on her face, no worry or torment. She looked serene and completely at peace. The quirk of her lips was still there too... She just seemed so happy...

Jemma averted her gaze, determined not to stare. She didn't want to be a creeper or anything.

She was beginning to get drowsy herself, and she didn't want to take the liberty to sleep beside Skye without her being in full awareness. She was sure she'd been too tired to to really evaluate everything fully. No matter how much she wanted it to be perfect, as in a movie or something, a television show, per say, she couldn't just fall asleep with her friend and hope her feelings were reciprocated in the morning. No. Instead she shifted imperceptibly, moving slowly and carefully, cradling Skye's head and lifting it off her lap. The limp figure only twitched slightly, unmoving. After Jemma's long pause, making sure Skye wouldn't awaken, she removed herself from the girl and grabbed a couch pillow to prop beneath her neck before resting the older woman's head down upon it.

Stepping away slowly, admiring her careful work, she turned on her heel to retrieve a blanket for her slumbering teammate.

When she retrieved one from the other room, Skye's limbs had already been strewn out across the beige cushions, claiming them as her own, arm hanging loosely off to brush the floor.

Jemma smirked. She really was a deep sleeper. And apparently, she tossed and turned in her sleep, just as Jemma had imagined she would.

It wasn't that she imagined Skye sleeping a lot, really, it was purely a scientific inference based on what she observed in Skye's personality traits. Then again, she wouldn't deny that she did pay close attention to Skye's traits... But that wasn't important.

Snapping out of her momentary daze, she draped the thin blanket over Skye, who quickly clutched at it, tangling herself in it by rolling over.

_Good. She's all taken care of, _she thought. She hoped Agent Koenig wouldn't think them to be rude for sleeping on the couch. Then again, they were all an equal team now, so it wasn't like it would really matter...

Finally realizing how heavy her own eyelids were, she turned off the television and closed Skye's laptop with a short snap. It was even later than before and she was realizing how groggy she felt and how slowly she could think. She didn't like not being able to think. Thinking was her life, forever searching for answers... Not thinking properly was probably more frustrating than not breathing.

Too tired to make her way to her own sleeping quarters, she dragged the large cushy chair closer to the couch, and curled up in a ball atop it. She didn't mind the small space at all, finding tucking her knees close to her body a quite surprisingly comfortable position. She wouldn't suspect it to be so, due to the pressurization of fascial compartments and dopamine buildup it may cause in the legs, but nonetheless, it was perfect for her. Perfect for someone who missed the warmth of human contact.

Letting her head fall back on the arm of the chair, she closed her eyes, turning to rest her hands beneath her head. She should at least get some sleep so she could get back to work in the morning.

_Or watch more Doctor Who with Skye_, came the irresistibly tantalizing thought.

She smiled softly to herself. It had truly been the best night of her life. Better than her scientific endeavors for S.H.I.E.L.D. Better than The Academy. Better than watching the episodes alone. Better than even watching them with a complaining Fitz. Skye agreed with her, they had a surprisingly similar sense of humor, giggled together, cried together, and nearly died together. Metaphorically, or course. They clung to each other without awkwardness. Well, okay, some awkwardness, but not too much. Ultimately, when it came down to it, it had just been amazing.

Not as amazing, however, as when she felt Skye's hand thump at the cushion of her armrest. Cracking one eye open, she blearily saw Skye's hand hanging over the armrest of her own couch, now lolling down in the space between them.

Jemma was brave. She let her hand fall as well, so their fingers brushed together. Simultaneously, as if of an inevitable chemical reaction in their biologies, their hands intertwined for the second time.

That was the last thing Jemma could recall before dozing off into a fitful sleep, a contented smile permanently carved onto her lips.


	3. Chapter 3

Skye awoke with a start, head shooting up. She'd remembered what'd happened. In her drunken-off-lack-of-sleep state, she hadn't really cared about looking like a fool. Now she sure as hell did.

_Skye, you idiot, she thought._

She still couldn't quite understand why she acted so stupidly around Jemma. She couldn't understand why she was so incredibly contented around her.

_Because we're friends. That's what being around a friend is like._

But how could she know for sure? Being part of Rising Tide and an orphan tossed around in The System hadn't made for the best opportunity to have friends. She'd had Miles. But now that name left a bitter taste in her mouth. Miles was good enough. She thought that was what being in love felt like.

But she remembered the soft tin sound of Jemma's laughter. The way the corners of her eyes and mouth crinkled along with her scrunching nose when she smiled. She remembered the angelic feathery brush of her perfect golden-brown hair. The delicate feeling of her shoulders moving beneath her outstretched arm. She remembered the feel of her skin. The light graze of her nails on her arm as they clutched close to each other. Most of all she was remembering the purity radiating from her brown eyes. The irises seemed so much more than brown. They seemed to dazzle with complexity and be filled with rays of honey light.

Apparently, being with Miles hadn't been love and care. It was raw desperation. She barely could remember the little details about him.

A conflicted sigh escaped her lips. Jemma was a friend. Family. They lived together on a closed-in plane for months. That was why she made her feel that way. It had to be.

Did Fitz, May, or Coulson make her feel that way though?

Well of course not _May_. She was stoic and serious. Not at all anyone, especially her sarcastic self, could hang around. And Coulson was a father to her. Another adoptive parent, one she trusted.

Fitz was great company, and funny, but she never picked up on small things about him.

_Not like Simmons probably does_.

No. Why was she thinking that. There was no reason to be jealous or bitter. She was just confused. And frustrated.

Did Ward make her feel that way? He was handsome, sure, but what else did she know about him?

The fleeting kiss they'd shared was nice. Skye sometimes needed someone to show emotion to. She thought he'd die. She was being nice. Who was she kidding? And after that? She wasn't sure. Maybe she was just impulsive.

_It could work though_, a stray thought whispered to her, eliciting a smile.

A yawn shattered her thoughts. She suddenly realized, with a pang, that Simmons was no longer curled up beside her.

_And_ she had a blanket, a pillow, was stretched out on the couch, and had been staring at the ceiling for the past five minutes.

Jemma must have not wanted to wake her last night, she thought guiltily.

Raising her body slightly, she craned her neck to look to where the tired noise came from, and was greeted with the sight of Jemma dozing on the armchair next to her, her dainty hands rested unobtrusively below her cheek, and her golden-brown hair was strewn messily over her face. She still looked like an angel, pale face radiating with the soft glow like that of the moon.

Suddenly tantalizing thoughts of being with Ward were forgotten.

_Maybe I just don't need a relationship. Maybe my stupid brain's just trying to tell me: who needs idiot guys when you can hang out with your friend…. Your friend that is a girl… Your girlfriend._

Why was her stupid brain thinking of other words for it? Maybe Jemma could explain the science behind it.

Stretching, she pushed herself upright, feet hitting the floor. Ugh. It was cold without the blanket. And without Jemma.

Rubbing the crust of sleep from her eyes, wrapped the blanket around herself and stood up sluggishly. Maybe some caffeine would help.

Maybe caffiene would at least keep her awake to watch more Doctor Who. She understood why Jemma was so obsessed with it now that she was too.

_Maybe we don't have _nothing _in common after all, _she thought with a grin, remembering what Jemma once said to her after she'd been de-hospitalized.

Jemma had been nice enough to make sure she was comfortable with a blanket and such and had secluded herself to the small chair. Skye figured it was only fair to do something nice in return.

Maybe she could fix up breakfast for both of them... What was that tea Jemma always drank? Herbal something? With honey?

With a small shrug to herself, Skye set off on her task. She wasn't the best cook, nor the most organized, and was certainly one to get easily side-tracked. But that was okay. She wanted to show Jemma she was grateful, and so long as she got the job done eventually, there was nothing to worry about.

When a flustered Fitz came in to find her bustling around the kitchen, she hadn't even looked his way. Fitz stopped inquisitively for a moment, before, pink-faced, continuing.

"Hey, Skye," he said slowly. "Have you seen Simmons?"

"Hmm?" She glanced up, hair falling in her face. "Yeah. In the T.V. room thing on the armchair. She's sleeping though. May not wanna bother her," she huffed as she finished refilling her ceramic mug with coffee once more and taking a gulp.

"Why's she sleeping in there?"

"We were watching Doctor Who and we fell asleep," came the muttered reply.

The last part seemed to confuse Fitz, but with a pause and a shake of his head, he disregarded the notion of abnormalities.

In no time his face lit up, blue eyes widening happily.

"What episode are you on?"

"Just finished the christmas episode of season one. About to start season two."

"Nice," he said enthusiastically. "I liked Nine though. A lot. You'll love Ten though. He's the best."

"So I've heard," Skye smirked, thinking about Jemma excitedly explaining each Doctor to her in incredible detail, bouncing with excitement and reassuring her that she'd grow to love Ten even more than anyone, etcetera.

"When Rose kissed Nine though," he stated, eyebrows raising dramatically.

"_Yes_," she enthused, drawing out the word eagerly. "That was _perfection_."

"Maybe I could watch with you and Jemma sometime! I'm always up for Doctor Who," he stated cheekily.

"Oh, yeah, totally," she agreed, prize smile only faltering when he turned around and left the room, shouting something about going back to work and finding Jemma later.

What was that pang? Why did that put a weight in her stomach. She should be happy to spend time with _more _friends. What happened to, "the more the merrier?"

Grunting, she put away the griddle and plopped her freshly made pancakes onto two plates, drenching each with syrup before carrying them clumsily back to the living room.

Satisfied to still find Jemma where she left her, she walked over to her, setting her own plate down on the coffee table, along with her mug of coffee and the cup of tea she'd made for Jemma.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she whispered, rubbing Jemma's arm, shaking her gently to rouse her.

"Skye? Mmph, I recall it was you who couldn't stay awake last night." She groaned, mock grumpiness obliterating her features.

Her eyes snapped open, however, at the sight of the pancakes.

Skye chuckled, "well now I've seemed to have gotten your attention."

"Yeah. _Pancakes_"

Hmmph, Jemma wasn't a morning person, huh? She'd expected the energetic biochemist to be used to waking up early on tight schedules, but apparently she was no more awake because of it. Nonetheless, remembering this was Jemma she was talking about, she figured it would take her about ten minutes, tops, for her to get back the usual spring in her step.

Eyes cracking open lazily, Jemma groaned and erected her posture, sitting up.

"Thanks, Skye," she said groggily. "...You didn't have to do that for me, breakfast..." Came the continuance as a halfhearted statement.

Skye rolled her eyes with a chuckle, brushing hair from her eyes and plopping down on the couch beside her.

Jemma sat up, practically dragging her own limbs after her to reach the pancakes, while Skye watched in amusement, picking her own plate up so it rested on her lap.

Cutting a forkful and stuffing it in her mouth as an excuse not to be the first one to strike up a conversation, she gazed at Jemma intently. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for. It was something about the british woman's presence that made her excited but anxious.

That didn't mean anything, did it?

Nope, as far as Skye was concerned, she was totally straight. Her musings from this morning had already become nearly forgotten, for the normal progression of life after that had been, well, normal. Therefore she was normal. She had to be. Everything was the same, right? Things can't change in a day, could they?

Well, her life _had_already changed in a single day before: she was kidnapped by S.H.I.E.L.D. after being part of Rising Tide all her life and was rushed into life as part of a government agency she once had detested. But that was different. Besides, a life changing revelation couldn't happen _twice_.

She pushed away the thoughts, realising she was becoming doubtful again, and hurriedly ate her breakfast in determined silence while Jemma cut her pancakes up into neat squares.

A cute little laugh broke her concentration.

"What?" Skye defended.

"You're glaring at your breakfast," Jemma stated matter-of-factly. "Have the pancakes done something to offend you?" she asked, a teasing glint in her crinkled eyes.

"N-no," she stumbled. "Just thinking is all."

Jemma softened, head tilting gently to the side. "Care to elaborate upon what it is you're thinking about?"

Skye flinched.

"No."

Jemma's face fell, eyes drifting to her own lap, startled. "Oh."

Skye already felt badly for her brash reply. She hadn't meant to sound angry.

She had been scared. Scared to open up.

"Well, I, um, apologize if I was prying," she continued, solemnly poking at her pancakes with her fork. "I, well, let me know if you need help or anything. Um, sorry."

Her expression was unreadable, and wasn't quite meeting Skye's gaze.

Skye put down her fork, food forgotten. She wanted to apologize, but, for once, she was at a loss for words. Give her some bad guy and she'd have a comeback; she'd be able to talk them to death, in fact. Give her a sad Jemma Simmons and she'd have her heart ache and feel as if she was completely helpless about everything.

Jemma seemed to compose herself quickly, however, resuming to eat her breakfast. She probably didn't want her friend to feel badly.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Jemma , finding something to break the silence, spoke. "Hey, since we're in here anyway, do you want to start season two? Y'know, only if you want to..."

"Of course," she replied quickly, grinning at the opportunity to make right her earlier attitude.

Jemma smiled, reluctant relief crossing her face.

They finished their pancakes, and Jemma had relocated herself to a spot beside Skye on the couch, laughing and intently watching the episode. They'd begun a game of poking each other's sides when either of them weren't looking in an attempt to make each other laugh more.

Who knew the serious Jemma Simmons could be such a silly companion once one got to know her.

Maybe that's why she and Fitz were such a good pair.

There was that spite rising in her again, like an ugly beast rearing its foul head within her. With a playful poke in the side, she laughed and the brief feeling dissipated once more, going back to rest.

Skye scowled at the scientist accusingly, mocking exasperation. "Jemma, c'mon, I wanna actually pay attention to the show," she whined.

"Fine," Jemma pouted exaggeratedly, coming to rest her head peacefully at Skye's shoulder.

Skye froze, but quickly relaxed into the touch again.

The episode was almost over, and it was so peaceful. Maybe if she just reach over, she could hold Jemma's hand like they did last night… Maybe she would gather the courage to do so just before the episode ended. Y'know, a nice end to a pleasant breakfast. Hmm, who knew pancakes would lead to such a wonderful time. Yep, she had a newfound appreciation of pancakes.

She wanted to reach over so badly. _Maybe I'll wait a bit longer._

Suddenly Coulson poked his head into the room.

"Simmons. Skye. We have a new mission. We're meeting by the garage. Hanger 56."

_God damnit._She just _had_to wait.

"Skye, you can head off now; get the others," he continued. "Simmons, you're with me. Fitz and Triplett need help with something real quick."

Disappointment was swelling through Skye. Clenching her jaw, she stopped herself from asking to come with Simmons or making up an excuse to. Eyes downcast, she shoved her plate onto the table with a loud thunk and abruptly stood, complying wordlessly. She met Jemma's gaze for a brief moment, looking away before they could really read each other's expressions.

She brushed past Coulson.

She wanted to spend more time with Jemma.

_Enough, Skye_, she berated. _I can spend time with her later._

Coulson left the room as well and walked down the other corridor.

With a sting of guilt Skye realized just how little she and Jemma had really gotten to talk to each other about anything but the present. She loved spending time with her. This was one of the best mornings she'd ever had, albeit being cut short… but she wanted more time to talk with her… get to know the real Jemma.

"Skye," came a tremulous voice.

Skye turned.

Jemma was just clicking off the T.V. She opened her mouth and closed it again, as if wondering what she had even intended on saying.

"See you soon," she decided on lamely. "We can continue our marathon later?" Jemma smiled faintly.

Skye laughed. "Yeah. Definitely," she smiled with earnestly. The smile had come more easily than she thought It would.

"Oh, and thank you for the breakfast as well, Skye," Jemma added softly.

Skye looked away with a flush of pink on her face. "No problem."

As she turned away and began walking she felt a contented hum buzzing through her. There'd be plenty of time to get to know the girl. She was her best friend she'd ever had _already_…

This time her smile never truly faded.


	4. Chapter 4

Well, the bloody mission had certainly taken longer than expected... And been much more complicated than anticipated... Now here they were, landed straight in an abandoned hotel, still wanted fugitives. Wonderful. It was still better than before though. Before, when she'd been nothing but worried sick over Skye.

Jemma sat by the pool edge as Skye talked to Agent Triplett. What if she was flirting? Not that she cared about Triplett. It was Skye herself. What if she was speaking in that way that way that made _her_ heart flutter _to him_. That was supposed to be for _her_. She couldn't tell from here. It'd been so long since they shared time together that she didn't want to make it awkward. She'd just been staying away. Cautious; wary. She'd thought they may have had something. She'd had a glimmer of hope that Skye reciprocated her feelings, but now Skye acted as if nothing had happened between them at all. She remembered the endless hours they spent watching Doctor Who. She remembered the pancakes.

_The team was in shambles. Ward, May, and Skye were missing. Jemma watched that screen on repeat in her mind for what seemed like forever. Skye. Skye walking away. Skye walking away with _Ward_. Holding hands. Going_ away. _Away from her. She'd even seen May walk out but she couldn't even focus on that when there was Skye, Her Skye. Moisture welled in her eyes as she numbly replayed the scene in horror. Over and over. When Coulson asked Fitz to play it again for the seventh time, the rational part of her couldn't even complain. She needed to see it too. That overpowering hopeless part of her wanted to pick up on something. Anything that could reassure her._

Why_, she thought. _Why would she leave us?

_Even with all of her brilliance and reasoning, she couldn't come up with an explanation. She was drawing a blank. She trusted Skye. She really trusted her... There had to be a reason. Maybe she'd been blinded by her feelings… Maybe that was why she'd never thought of Skye truly liking Ward. But walking away with him? To who knows where? _

_A frustrated noise escaped her. She, like Coulson, was visibly agitated._

_Most words washed over her, only snapping out of her tumultuous thoughts when the team began talking. She had to stay hopeful. Only ask the questions that could get them to find Skye._

_"With all the crap we're facing_, this is not the time to pull the ripcord. Bail out." _Those words somehow resonated._

_Triplett's words reached her, and suddenly tears sprung back into her eyes. It wasn't the time to bail out. He was right. Why did Skye? She couldn't have. It was Skye. She couldn't do that. Wouldn't. There was a reason. She'd find one._

She couldn't bail on us like this.

_She felt a tear slip past her resistance, and she quickly stood up, eyes downcast._

"_I'll go make us some food," she excused herself, without even thinking._

"_We have to eat," she mumbled quickly in the most confident tone she could muster as explanation._

_She walked away briskly, expression hardened and hidden with numbness, disregarding both Fitz and Triplett's attempts to follow her. Shutting her eyes tightly, she swiped away her tears whilst running more scenarios in her head._

"_Simmons,"_

_She whipped around, snapping her eyes open in agitation. Why was Fitz following her? Didn't he know to leave her alone right now? _

_Right. No one knew. Everyone thought they were each in the same position. With the same amount of sorrow. _

_That certainly wasn't true in her mind right then, judging by the entirely palpable ache in her chest._

_Fitz said he thought for a minute everything was back to normal. Yeah, right, normal. Nothing was normal. He was asking her questions about why she thought they were left in the dark. Something like that. She couldn't focus on reasonings of authority though. Nor May. Nor Koenig or Ward. Her thoughts were of Skye._

_She wasn't even sure what she said in response. She probably said an annoyed, "I don't know," or put on a fake optimistic smile telling him they'd have to stay positive. Not that she really believed it. Ever since she'd hidden her feelings for Skye, she sure was getting better at lying in general, huh?_

"_For Coulson, yeah, I know. He's had a rough call with it," she heard Fitz say. Something in her expression hardened. Because no, that wasn't it. She needed to stay positive in general. She needed it for _herself_. She needed something to quell the gaping hole in her chest._

_She absentmindedly agreed with him, listing the things Coulson had been through in the past week like a machine spewing out facts, sympathetic whilst simultaneously not. _

_Suddenly she stopped, a whisper escaping her._

"_Pancakes." _

_Not something Coulson was upset about, for sure, but something she was. It was the most recent happy time she'd spent with Skye before life had gone utterly mad. And she was upset because she _missed _it. She didn't want this worrying. She wanted Skye _back.

_Fitz stopped too. _

"_Coulson's upset about pancakes now?" He asked confusedly._

_She looked at him blankly. Well, she could make pancakes for the team. A silent tribute from herself to Skye. A memory bringing her faith. Saying that she hadn't given up on her. Sweet caring Skye, caring for her. She cared for the team. They were her family and they'd be reunited so long as she clung to her own advice and let herself be hopeful._

"_Well that's a way to cheer everyone up a bit, don't you think?" She asked. By "everyone," she was really indicating herself, but that was okay. "I'll see if we have any in stock."_

"_Yeah, I'll fire up the griddle."_

_She'd been in a daze when she'd first walked into the pantry, but by the time she walked out, she certainly wasn't anymore._

_She'd smiled when she found things she needed. She felt more at ease and optimistic._

_Stumbling upon a dried blood in a rivulet down the wall and a limp stiffened dead body, that of one she considered a friend… well, the blood-curdling scream emitted from her own throat was something to easily snap her out of her daze…_

Jemma shuddered, staring at Skye. She'd been so incredibly worried for her… and now she didn't have to be. She sighed.

"_WARD IS HYDRA." That was the message. That meant Skye was playing Ward. Like he'd played all of them. She'd been surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal. That it'd been Ward. That Skye knew what she was doing. Sure, she was still apprehensive, but at least she knew Skye wasn't going with him just because it was _him._ Skye probably wanted out of there just as much as Jemma wanted her out of there._

_As Fitz nagged and begged her in desperation to tell Triplett it wasn't Ward, she found herself simply wanting it to be him more and more. To relieve the worry that it was Skye going behind their backs _with _him. She wanted to work. Give her mind something concrete and helpful to do. Prove Skye was right. Anything._

_She felt cold. Ward had been their friend. Of course, she'd hoped he'd stay out of the way when it came to Skye's feelings… but not like this. She hated herself for feeling not as scared anymore when she thought of it being Ward double crossing them. She hated it. But compared to the other explanations she'd had swirling in her head, it was less of a burden. It meant Skye was still completely invested in the team. It meant not losing both members._

_It hurt._

_But it was better._

Jemma looked down at her lap.

_When she confirmed what they'd all thought, that Ward killed Koenig, that was why she stayed calm and had to be the one to restrain Fitz and calm him down. Better the team. Do all she possibly could to help._

_She'd hate to imagine what _she'd _act like if things had turned out the opposite way. She understood Fitz's trauma. She really did._

_There was a gaping hole in the team. There were so many loose ends needing to be solved and fixed… but this was better than nothing._

_She couldn't afford sympathy for a bloody traitor. After the shock… she'd have to move on for the sake of the team_

_She was angry at Ward. So, so angry at him for leading Skye on. For hurting her. Trying to play her. All of them. But she'd take that anger and stifle it away quietly… and focus it on Skye. It would strengthen her power to get Skye back._

_Only a single tear rolled down her cheek as she walked away icily. She couldn't let Ward's betrayal hurt her… she would make it fuel her and she'd get back Skye. She'd focus on the here and now and do what she had to._

She'd been so frustrated when she couldn't be with Skye, and now they were together. Sure, they were a bit far apart, but at least they were together.

_She was furious with Maria Hill and bloody Colonel Talbot. He went on and on about an interrogation for them, when they could be saving the life of their friend._

_She snapped. She told him about the known H.Y.D.R.A. threat and how he was preventing them from intercepting and saving their teammate._

_The way he looked down upon her like she was a "little lady," and the way he said S.H.I.E.L.D. was a corrupt organization that no longer existed… she'd never felt so much rage in her life. And, worse, she had to hide it with a tight-lipped smile._

_She felt helpless._

_She didn't want to be be valuable to him._

_Right then, she wanted to be valuable to Skye._

_She needed to help her._

She was snapped out of her recollections when she heard a very familiar laugh. She focused her eyes again and gazed at Skye. She could only see behind her, but she was probably smiling. The laugh had definitely belonged to her. She knew it well enough by now. Triplett probably had said something funny.

She looked over, and apparently her hand was still resting on Fitz's knee. She'd been comforting him, knowing how ridiculous his notions could be, but she quickly moved her hand away and let it rest behind her again.

Triplett came over and offered each of them snacks, so she politely accepted and thanked him. She supposed she was a bit happier now that he was away from Skye…She'd been about to go over to her, but now she was talking to Coulson. Running her hand through her hair, her lips twisted, she leaned forward, waiting

Triplett sat beside her, and Fitz and he talked to each other past her.

She was zoning again, but she soon realized Skye was no longer talking. She and Coulson were simply staring up at the night sky.

She looked up too and smiled. It was certainly a nice night. Maybe she should just put the past few days out of her mind.

Suddenly she realized she'd been subconsciously scared all along. She was nervous at how her feeling would play out I suppose, and after everything… well maybe that was too much stress. But then again, after what happened, maybe it was because it made her realize how much she really did care. How strongly she really felt. Maybe it was mad, but she'd never noticed the extreme extent her feelings went to. In such a short amount of time, Skye had become the team member most important to her in the world. Just as important as Fitz. Both of them were unimaginable to lose. She'd never be able to grasp a thought like that… Fitz was her best friend for years. She'd been with Skye such a short time it was not comparable, but still she was so close, they were such good friends. Their bond was special.

Skye was the new girl at first, but she'd been captivated by her right away. Even though before that, all she'd ever wanted was to be praised and do her job for Coulson. She wanted to be liked by the authority. Ever since Skye, she'd spoken out more, unlike she'd ever thought she would, and it had actually been quite a thrill. Come to think of it, she _shouldn't_ have liked Skye. Coulson favored her from day one, and ever since she arrived, was more harsh on herself. But she'd looked past that. Never even noticed it because it was _Skye_. Sweet, genuine, likable Skye. What could be more telling than that? She should have realized sooner, considering how she subconsciously allowed Skye a place in her heart when she could have easily been jealous if it had been anyone else. It was unfair to her, but somehow it had all seemed lovely.

It still _was_ lovely. It was still _Skye. _

They couldn't be more different, but couldn't be more the same, more bonded, more close. And yet she still wanted to be _more_ close.

Triplett was right. She _couldn't _imagine her life without her.

She loved her. Was in love.

She wrung her hands, making up her mind.

Pressing her lips together apprehensively, she stood, quietly excusing herself from Fitz and Triplett's conversation.

She didn't look back. Whilst approaching Skye, she gained more confidence. She walked with purpose, arms swinging more freely and a smile now on her face.

She pulled a chair from the table, sitting herself down without a word, near Skye. She followed Skye's distant happy gaze, and let her eyes wander upward again as well. She traced the swirling patterns of the sky and stars and the beautiful celestial complexity, thinking, for once, about everything she loved, about still being an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. They weren't agents of nothing. They were still parts of a whole.

Contentedness passed over her face. There were no equations, calculations, or preparations in her head. She wasn't thinking about much of anything at all. She let Skye's mere presence seep into her and enjoyed the beauty in the quiet serenity they were sharing.

"Simmons," came a soft voice from behind her.

She looked back at Skye, and noticed that at some point Coulson must have left and gone inside.

"Hmm?"

"It's nice to be back," Skye said delicately, a beholden tone to her voice.

"Yeah," Jemma laughed. "I was worried sick about you, y'know," she sighed, looking into her eyes earnestly.

"Well, no more worrying, okay," Skye smiled, shaking her head endearingly. "Trust me, I wanted out of there as much as anyone."

Jemma laughed, eyes flitting away. "You scared me back there. I thought- well, I thought you left me- the entire team, I mean, to go with Ward... Before we saw your brilliant message, that is… I'm just glad you didn't."

Skye sighed, leaning in on the table to regain eye contact. "I would _never _leave the team for him," she said, eyebrows raised in seriousness. "He's a murderous, backstabbing, disgusting traitor. I want _nothing _to do with him."

Jemma smiled faintly. "Well, good, because I don't know what I'd do if you did."

She suddenly realized she was acting much like Fitz had been acting toward her before…

She blinked, eyebrows knit together as she looked up at Skye through her lashes, hands folded and being wrung together on her lap.

"I missed you."

Skye's expression softened and became warm, gathering the smaller woman into a tight embrace.

"I missed you too, silly. C'mon. Let's head inside. It's a vacation time now. No more sadness for tonight, okay?"

Jemma shut her glistening eyes, grin pressing into Skye's shoulder, squeezing the taller brunette tightly before letting go. She looked up silently and nodded, following suit and pushing herself out of her chair.

Skye gave her a sideways glance and grin, and Jemma couldn't help but blush. Her heart fluttered.

So much for the fear of it being awkward. There was no longer anything to be worried about, considering Skye was openly willing to spend time with her now. Her lips curled upward, eyes crinkling. Nothing could ruin tonight anymore.


End file.
